{"id":84232,"date":"2020-11-29T15:49:10","date_gmt":"2020-11-29T13:49:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=84232"},"modified":"2020-11-29T15:49:10","modified_gmt":"2020-11-29T13:49:10","slug":"taking-the-butter-with-the-sweet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/taking-the-butter-with-the-sweet\/","title":{"rendered":"Taking The Butter With The Sweet"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"84232","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":64450,"related_cahpter":"622","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"He sure was a slick talker\r\n\r\n","content":"

In Psalm 55, the psalmist bemoans the wicked in general, and those that betrayed him in particular. The behavior of the traitor was so offensive because he appeared to display loyalty:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe harmed his ally, he broke his pact; his talk was smoother than butter, yet his mind was on war; his words were more soothing than oil, yet they were drawn swords.\u201d (Psalms 55:21-22)<\/span><\/p>\n

To show how suave the enemy was acting, the psalmist used slick metaphors from the kitchen: butter and oil.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hebrew word for oil, <\/span>shemen<\/span><\/em>, isn\u2019t subject to dispute. However, the word translated here as \u201cbutter\u201d \u2013 <\/span>chem\u2019ah<\/span><\/em>\u00ad \u00ad<\/span><\/i>sometimes refers to other foods.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, in Genesis 18:8, we see that Abraham served <\/span>chem\u2019ah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0to his guests, but here it is translated as \u201ccurds\u201d:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHe took curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared and set these before them; and he waited on them under the tree as they ate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Curds is not the only translation offered for <\/span>chem\u2019ah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0in this verse. Rashi suggests \u201ccream.\u201d Others say yogurt, leben or cottage cheese. And there are those who say that like in our verse, the best translation is butter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, all of these translations are the result of processing the milk, usually by churning. This is described in Proverbs 30:33:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cAs milk under pressure produces butter, and a nose under pressure produces blood, so patience under pressure produces strife.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Returning to the verse in Psalms, the complete Hebrew word used is <\/span>machmaot<\/span><\/em>. The letter <\/span>mem<\/span><\/em>, serving as a prefix, is why the verse says his words are smoother \u201cthan\u201d butter(s).<\/span><\/p>\n

But some misread the word. They thought that the <\/span>mem\u00a0<\/span><\/em>was used in the way that forms abstract nouns (like <\/span>midrash<\/span><\/em>\u00a0from <\/span>darash<\/span><\/em>). Along with a different understanding of the previous word (<\/span>chalku<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>meaning \u201cdivide\u201d instead of \u201csmooth\u201d), they believed the phrase to mean \u201cdistributed compliments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This misunderstanding led to a new word in Hebrew \u2013 <\/span>machma\u2019ah<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201ccompliment.\u201d But it shouldn\u2019t be such a surprise that butter and compliments are connected. English also has the phrase, \u201cbutter up,\u201d which means \u201cto flatter.\u201d Smooth talk appears to be rather universal.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":84233,"id":84233,"title":"ps55-butter","filename":"ps55-butter.png","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/ps55-butter.png","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/taking-the-butter-with-the-sweet\/ps55-butter\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps55-butter","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":84232,"date":"2020-11-29 13:45:29","modified":"2020-11-29 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